Moving during Dashain sounds like a terrible idea until you’ve sat in Kathmandu traffic on an ordinary Tuesday. Then it starts to sound pretty smart.
Every year, a big part of the Valley packs a bag and heads home for the festival. The city goes quiet. For anyone planning to shift a home or an office, that quiet is useful: fewer vehicles, less honking, and a moving truck that can actually move.
This guide covers what is happening this Dashain, using numbers from the police and the press. It also covers who should move now, who should wait, and a checklist you can start today. We run a relocation company, so we have a stake in this. We’ll tell you the downsides too.
Dashain 2026 at a Glance
Dashain runs 15 days. Here are the dates that matter for planning a move:
The Ministry of Home Affairs lists October 17 to 23 as the Dashain holiday for government offices. Banks and many shops close around the same days, according to Wego’s Dashain guide.
A small warning: a few calendar sites put the main tika day a day earlier. Most Nepali sources use October 21. Check the official Panchang before you set any family plans.
How Many People Are Leaving Kathmandu?
The Numbers So Far
The Valley is already emptying. According to Khabarhub, citing the Kathmandu Valley Traffic Police Office, 187,774 passengers had left by public transport from Ghatasthapana up to Wednesday morning. In the latest 24 hours alone, 78,138 people left.
Those figures count public transport only. Private cars and bikes add to the total, so the real number of people leaving is higher.
What’s Still Coming
The biggest wave hasn’t arrived yet. The Kathmandu Post reported on October 8 that officials expect around 1 million people to leave the Valley by road this year. Another 30,000 to 35,000 should fly out. The transport entrepreneurs’ federation says almost 1.9 million leave in years when roads are in good shape. This year’s rain has made some roads worse.
A Clickmandu projection expects well over 200,000 people to exit between Phulpati and Ashtami. Treat all of these as estimates. They are forecasts, not final counts.
For context, Kantipur reported that more than 553,000 people left the Valley in the first eight days of last year’s festival. It also noted that roads inside Kathmandu started to look relaxed once the traffic thinned.
What That Does to the Roads
Inside the city, the effect is easy to see. Last year, the Valley’s traffic police chief told Kantipur that traffic had dropped on Kathmandu’s busiest main roads. Photo features from other years describe the same thing: empty roads in a Valley that normally crawls.
There is one exception. The exit points are packed. The Kathmandu Post says Kalanki and Nagdhunga are carrying especially heavy loads right now. So the jam moves from the city streets to the highways out.
Why Moving During Dashain Makes Sense
Faster Truck Runs
A moving day is mostly a traffic problem. Loading takes a few hours. Getting across town with a truck full of furniture is the part that eats your day.
When fewer vehicles share the road, the truck spends less time idling and more time driving. Narrow streets in places like Chabahil also get easier to work with when fewer cars are parked and double-parked outside.
Your Office Gets a Free Window
Most businesses lose real money on moving days. Dashain changes that math. With government offices on holiday from October 17 to 23 and many private offices closed too, you can shift desks, servers, and files while nobody needs them.
Our office shifting team plans these moves around your reopening day. Your staff come back to a working space instead of a pile of boxes. Nobody has to ask, “Where did the printer go?”
Come Back to a Home That’s Ready
This is the part most people miss. If you plan to change flats this year, you have two choices:
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Move before you travel, and return to a settled home.
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Travel first, then spend your first week back hunting for a flat, hiring movers, and unpacking, all while your office restarts.
Option one is calmer. You enjoy the festival without a half-finished move waiting for you. Option two is possible, but it lands right in the middle of the post-holiday rush.
The Honest Downsides
We’d rather you hear this from us.
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Closures. Banks, offices, and many shops close for roughly five days around Phulpati to tika. Buy your packing supplies and handle any paperwork early.
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Family time. Don’t schedule a move on tika day. Plan around October 21, not through it.
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Thin public transport. Older reports from the Himalayan Times describe very few public vehicles running inside the Valley during the festival. If you rely on taxis to reach your new place, arrange rides in advance.
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Highways are a different story. If you’re moving out of the Valley, say to Pokhara, you’ll share the road with everyone else heading home. Heavy exit traffic and rain-affected routes can slow a long-distance move. Talk to us about timing before you commit.
What Waiting Until After Dashain Costs You
Picture the week after you return. Offices reopen. Everyone is back in the city at once. You have a new flat to find, a lease to sign, and boxes to pack, while your inbox fills up with everything that piled up during the break.
Then Tihar arrives. The government’s holiday list shows a five-day Tihar break from November 8 to 12, so another stretch of the calendar gets crowded.
On top of that, our Dashain offer is time-limited. Move before you leave and you can use it. Wait until you’re back and you probably can’t.
A Simple Dashain Moving Checklist
Moving a Home
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Lock in your new place first. Get the keys, or at least a firm move-in date, before you book anything else.
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Book your movers now. The holiday starts October 17, so the window is short. Our house shifting services in Kathmandu need a bit of lead time to plan the crew and truck.
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Declutter before you pack. Every item you donate is one less box to carry.
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Pack a “first night” bag. Chargers, toiletries, a change of clothes, and basic kitchen items. You’ll thank yourself at 9 p.m.
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Photograph valuable items. It takes two minutes and helps if you ever need to check on a scratch.
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Need somewhere to park extra furniture? Our storage facilities can hold items until the new space is ready.
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Do a walkthrough at the old place. Check closets, balconies, and storage rooms before the truck leaves.
Moving an Office
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Schedule the move inside the holiday window and confirm your reopening date.
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Label every desk, cabinet, and cable bundle with the team name.
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Back up your data and keep critical drives with you, not on the truck.
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Tell clients and delivery partners your new address in advance.
Moving a Car or Bike
Heading home for the festival and relocating at the same time? We offer car shifting and bike shifting, so your vehicle can arrive at the new address without you driving it through highway traffic.
How Nepal Relocation Services Handles a Festival Move
Every move follows the same five steps, whether it’s a one-room flat or a full office:
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Consultation and planning: we learn what you’re moving and set a date.
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Packing and preparation: we protect your items before anything leaves the building.
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Loading and transport: the crew loads and drives to the new address.
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Unloading and placement: your things go into the right rooms.
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Inspection and settling in: we check that everything arrived and you’re happy.
We cover relocation services in Kathmandu, plus Lalitpur and Bhaktapur. You can also browse our moving services or read our full guide to packers and movers in Nepal if you want the bigger picture before you decide.
Key Takeaways
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Dashain 2026 runs October 11 to 25, and the main tika day falls on October 21.
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Government offices close from October 17 to 23.
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As of Wednesday morning, 187,774 passengers had left Kathmandu by public transport, and the largest wave is still ahead.
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City roads get quieter, which helps local moves. Exit highways get busier, which hurts long-distance ones.
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Moving before you travel means you return to a settled home, not a to-do list.
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Closures and thin public transport are the real downsides, so plan around them.
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Our Dashain offer is time-limited, so ask about it before you book.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is moving during Dashain a good idea?
For local moves inside the Valley, often yes. Roads are quieter and offices are closed, so a move can finish faster and disrupt less. For long-distance moves along the highways, the heavy exit traffic makes timing harder, so plan carefully.
When are government offices closed for Dashain 2026?
The Ministry of Home Affairs’ holiday list sets the Dashain holiday from October 17 to October 23, 2026. Banks and many shops close around the same period.
How many people leave Kathmandu for Dashain?
It changes every year. Police counted 187,774 public-transport passengers from Ghatasthapana through Wednesday morning, October 14. Officials expect around 1 million to leave by road this year, plus 30,000 to 35,000 by air. Those are estimates, not final counts.
Should I move before or after Dashain?
If you can, move before. You return to a settled home, you skip the post-festival rush, and you can still use our Dashain offer. Moving after works, but you’ll compete with everyone else restarting their routines.
Can I move to Pokhara or another city during Dashain?
You can, but expect crowded highways and possible delays. Tell us your destination and date early, and we’ll plan a realistic schedule. See our Pokhara relocation page for the details.
What should I do before shops and offices close?
Buy packing supplies, finish bank and paperwork tasks, confirm your new place’s move-in date, and book your movers. Do these before October 17.
7. Conclusion
Moving during Dashain won’t suit everyone, and it isn’t right for every route. But for a home or office shift inside the Valley, quiet roads and closed offices give you a calmer window than you’ll get most of the year.
Shift before you leave, enjoy the festival, and come back to a place that’s ready. Ask about our current Dashain offer while it lasts.
Ready to plan your move? Contact us with your move date and locations, and our team will help you sort out the details.